Next Stop; The Dentist

It sure seems as though when it rains, it pours. First I ruptured a tendon in my big right toe; thanks Cipro. One year later, I woke up and could not put my feet on the ground or bend over; thanks again, Cipro. Fifteen months after that incident I was diagnosed with leukemia; can’t blame that on any anything other than just plain old bad luck. Yesterday I broke a tooth; thanks little disguised bone in my burger, as if I don’t already have enough on my plate!

I sort of figured that it was bound to happen sooner or later, I was banking on later, since the same thing happened to another tooth. It seems as though those fillings that I got as a kid, finally weakened my tooth enough to make it precarious. All it took after that was biting on that hidden little bone. Hopefully I will not need a root canal; just a dental crown. A dental crown is sort of like a cap for your tooth. The good thing about a dental crown is that it makes your teeth look all white and pretty, instead of all old and silvery. So except for the cost, I will be really happy to have this tooth match the rest of my mouth! My next stop; the dentist.

Healthy Living is a Plus!

When you live in chronic pain you may often be viewed as a whiner, complainer, or hypochondriac. Having lived through the excruciating pain caused by Cipro, I can totally relate with people that have and live with chronic pain. Being sympathetic to a person with intangible pain can often be a difficult task for family members, friends and co-workers. They seem to think if they cannot see it, then it must not hurt. Life for the person in chronic pain is not only difficult from the physical aspect, but the emotional one as well. Having your life stolen from you is frightening, devastating and frustrating. There are many reasons that people live in chronic pain, mine just happened to result from taking an antibiotic.

I think that regardless of the reason, one of the best things that you can do for yourself is to take care of yourself. Devise a health plan and stick to it. Exercise as much as you possibly can, eat well, get plenty of rest. Healthy living will probably not cure your pain, but it will help to prevent other health issues that may arise from an unhealthy lifestyle. There are many things that we all can do to improve our overall health.

Healthy living literally means taking care of yourself; body, mind and spirit. The last thing that any of us that live in chronic pain needs is to have any other health issue crop up and cause additional health issues.

Poisoned by Cipro; Now I am Unemployed!

So, just what does one do when their injuries stem from ingesting an antibiotic? I know many, many florquinolone sufferers that have lost their jobs due to the debilitating side effects from Cipro, Levaquinn or Avelox. I can relate with both the employer and the employee. It really sucks to have a great job and not be able to get out of bed in the morning; to suddenly be unable to walk or function like you did the day before.

Just how many days can you expect your employer to keep your job available for you when every medical professional that you consult gives you the same answer: “Gee, I have never seen this before and no, I do not have any idea how long it will last, or what I can do to help you.” How comforting do you suppose that is for your employer? He has a business to run and chances are that you were a crucial piece of that wheel.

Occupational health professionals must keep records of employee health information regarding workplace injuries and illnesses, but just how do they record a side effect? What is a side effect and how could that possibly prevent you from doing your job? How do you explain that one day you were perfectly healthy and mobile and now you can barely even walk? And how do you explain that there isn’t a doctor out there that has an answer?

So, here we are incapacitated, often under insured and now unemployed. Sure seems to me that someone ought to take some responsibility here. Floroquinolone toxicity SUCKS!

Physical Therapy Documentation Going Paperless!

I suppose that I am a bit old fashioned when it comes to certain things. I know that when I go to the doctor, I like to see my chart and I like to see what is “literally” written down on the pages; in my chart. I do admit that since more and more doctors dictate their notes into a small recorder, and then have them transcribed, they are much easier to read, type written, than in the doctors own, often difficult to read penmanship.

I imagine that it is safe to say that having notes typed vs written is probably a more efficient and accurate way of keeping patients charts, with less room for error. I can also appreciate the value of simply going to a computer, typing in a patient’s name and accessing their entire history with just a few clicks of a mouse. I know for many people, with ongoing medical conditions, their charts can become quite large and cumbersome. Keeping track of physical therapy documentation is crucial to a recovering patient. I can understand how recording a patient’s exercises and treatments in a chronological chart or list would be beneficial, and viewing that information on a handheld computer would make that task much more efficient and accurate.

So, despite my “old fashioned” ways, I do see the value in going high tech and paperless; not only for the doctor’s sake, but for the sake of the patient as well. The doctors can record notes quicker and in more detail, resulting in more accurate documentation with easier access; as a bonus, I suppose it will inadvertently help to save our forests and landfills as well.

Medical Expenses of Leukemia: I Need Your Help!

I suppose that since it is National Leukemia and Lymphoma Month, now would be a great time for me to begin freaking out about my medical insurance that resets on January 1^st of every year. Since I have been self-employed, in one form or another for most of my adult life, I have never had the good fortune of being included in the benefits of an employer’s health insurance plan. I have had to purchase my own health insurance, which I have done through Anthem Blue Cross, for the past thirty years. Fortunately, I have had the wither-all and means in which to do so, despite the high rates and low benefits that have been available to me.

I have always figured that some health insurance is better than no health insurance at all, and since I have always been in great health, a catastrophic insurance plan has always been a good choice for me. A catastrophic health insurance plan is literally just that. It does not pay for the small medical instances such as a sore throat, flu of urinary tract infection, but does cover larger instances such as appendectomy’s, or in my case, cancer. The biggest drawback is the extremely high, yearly out of pocket expense. Last year, needless to say, I met that expense in one fell swoop; when I was admitted to the hospital, after being diagnosed with leukemia. Normally, this would not be an issue; I would have been hospitalized, cured and sent home. I would have had to pay one, great big, out of pocket insurance deductible. I would have recovered, picked myself up, dusted myself off and gotten right back to work!

The issue arises from the fact that my type of leukemia is not curable, only manageable, which means, extremely high medical costs that reset on a yearly basis. I will need to come up with a $5000 deductible at the first of every year for the rest of my life. This in addition to the many other out of pocket expenses and extremely high cost of my medication, has kept me up many a night; worrying.

I have been very blessed with random and surprising donations, and am extremely grateful to all of you that have helped me in my fight thus far. I have never been very good at asking for help of any kind, but I am afraid that I have been humbled by leukemia. I have found a few writing gigs, some sewing and cakes that need making, but I am afraid that none of these are yet, profitable enough to keep my head and body for that matter, above ground for long. I have found some really cute bracelets that are cancer/leukemia related and I am going to try and sell them as somewhat of a fund raiser. They range in price from $7.50 to $18.00. If you simply wish to donate, there is a place to do so in my right column. Desperate measures require desperate times. Of course, I am also willing to consider any and all other options or opportunities offered to me.

For those of you that can and do, my humblest thanks. For those of you in the same boat, or even one with more holes in the bottom of it, you have my emotional support and empathy. And to all of you that just read and support me through encouragement and kind words, please know that I am eternally grateful. 

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